OT: Booted.

[false_Aest]

Came home to find my truck booted. Quite a shock to me because I've only gotten two tickets since I moved to Boston.

Called the city. Apparently I have five tickets--unpaid of course. I go down to City Hall and pay a whopping $400 to get unbooted.

I try to explain that I know I have two recent unpaid tickets but I've never received the other three. The nice, patient old lady at the counter gives me a print out of the tickets. (Amazingly they all occurred within a month of each other in 2007 and are all within a block of each other---at school, close to the dorms.) I can't argue with her. I can't get the tickets forgiven. "Sir, when you got the tickets you should have contested them." How do I contest tickets that I never received????

Anyways. Nothing gets settled. I fork up $400 (which should've been the deposit on my new apt). I go for a ride.
---
20 miles into the ride I have a minor epiphany: THIS IS KARMA. When I was 12 and 13 my friends and I found it entertaining to grab tickets off of cars. We must have done it 15-20 times, maybe more.
---
C'est la vie.
Time to ride more.

[J.Greene]

I hope you've never hooked up with sombody else's wife.

JG

Came home to find my truck booted. Quite a shock to me because I've only gotten two tickets since I moved to Boston.

Called the city. Apparently I have five tickets--unpaid of course. I go down to City Hall and pay a whopping $400 to get unbooted.

I try to explain that I know I have two recent unpaid tickets but I've never received the other three. The nice, patient old lady at the counter gives me a print out of the tickets. (Amazingly they all occurred within a month of each other in 2007 and are all within a block of each other---at school, close to the dorms.) I can't argue with her. I can't get the tickets forgiven. "Sir, when you got the tickets you should have contested them." How do I contest tickets that I never received????

Anyways. Nothing gets settled. I fork up $400 (which should've been the deposit on my new apt). I go for a ride.
---
20 miles into the ride I have a minor epiphany: THIS IS KARMA. When I was 12 and 13 my friends and I found it entertaining to grab tickets off of cars. We must have done it 15-20 times, maybe more.
---
C'est la vie.
Time to ride more.

[Charles M]

There are parts of the "world" that this may go over poorly, but OK damn it. we'll see if Phoenix is one of em.

[davids]

I had a lovely stroll down Newbury St. Monday evening, and saw the booting process in action. In a three block stretch, the guy had done 4 cars.

[1happygirl]

Hey sorry about that. That really is a bummer. From what I've heard, this is prominent up East and the one thing that is a negative about being up there (and also the snow for me).


Come down to the South! (I've never seen a car being booted)

I'm glad I'm here.


Sorry again for all the bad day. Does sound like a My Name is Earl moment though.

[gdw]

I knew a guy who was a copier technician covering Boston in the 80's. He ran up over $2,000 in tickets before they towed him. He eventually negotiated the fines down to $500 to be paid in installments. He only made the first payment and the city never contacted him about the unpaid balance.

[rwsaunders]

A musician, huh?

The Denver Boot was invented in 1953 by a gentleman by the name of Frank Marugg. Besides being an inventor, he was a musician with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, and a pattern maker. He was a friend to many politicians and police department officials in Denver.

The Denver Sheriff's Department came to him to ask for help with their parking enforcement problem. Frank and the Sheriff decided to build a device to immobilize vehicles whose owners didn’t pay their outstanding parking tickets. He invented and patented the Denver Boot.

Frank was quite a guy, he could build almost anything, he even made his own violin, which he played for the Denver Symphony. The Denver Boot was only one of his brilliant inventions.

[Ken Robb]

some nasty folks will park illegally, remove a ticket from somebody else's illegally parked cat, put the ticket on their own car and go about their business. Thge first car gets a second ticket when the patrol comes again and the second car gets none because he already has one on the windshield.

This would only work where the officer patrols a big area and on cars that don't stand out so he/she wouldn't remember all the cars already ticketed. A fuschia VW camper wouldn't cut it. I suppose there are some areas that will write multi-tickets on the same car on the same day in the same place. Some folks who get a ticket have been known to put it on another's car hoping the owner will pay it without checking the license number.

[vaxn8r]

A musician, huh?

The Denver Boot was invented in 1953 by a gentleman by the name of Frank Marugg. Besides being an inventor, he was a musician with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, and a pattern maker. He was a friend to many politicians and police department officials in Denver.

The Denver Sheriff's Department came to him to ask for help with their parking enforcement problem. Frank and the Sheriff decided to build a device to immobilize vehicles whose owners didn’t pay their outstanding parking tickets. He invented and patented the Denver Boot.

Frank was quite a guy, he could build almost anything, he even made his own violin, which he played for the Denver Symphony. The Denver Boot was only one of his brilliant inventions. A bike thief could have that boot off in 2 seconds atmo

[benb]

Yah *** is the point of making the thing out of 2" thick steel beams and holding together with that dinky lock?

Only issue is they already have all your info.. they'd probably give you a $500 fine for "damaging their boot".

Friend of mine would always park illegally for work & then just expense his tickets.. 2-3 year period he pretty much got at least one parking ticket every day.. they'd worked out it was the most cost effective way to park when you have business all over Boston. (IT work - lots of visits to different offices)

[Ozz]

why not just park where you are supposed to?

...says the guy who lives in a city where people stand in the rain at 6:00 AM on a deserted street waiting for the walk signal to change.... :rolleyes:

[benb]

Cause there are lots of places "where you are supposed to" is far far away.

Not an option if say for example you have to move computer equipment into someone's office, etc..

Traffic & Parking is heaven in Seattle/Bellevue compared to Boston. (I love your area)

[Keith A]

Come down to the South! (I've never seen a car being booted)I guess it depends on what part of the South you are talking about. You might not get the boot, but some of the local towns in Brevard County have those parking meter maids riding around in golf carts that are ferocious. The other day I pulled up just to check the surf and the parking dude knew exactly what I was doing and he said you better feed the meter or I will give you a ticket :butt:

There's a famous surf spot in Palm Beach that has zero parking for the beach in this fancy neighborhood. The residents have managed to get no parking signs put up everywhere and when the surf is on, the local popo have tow trucks hauling away surfers' cars left and right.

[Tom]

The scam in my town (when the ex-police chief's wife isn't getting busted for selling reefer - not the ex wife the current wife he's the ex chief - after she got busted for having a joint in her purse in the cop station, that's not why he's the ex chief though but he's gonna be ex free pretty soon because apparently she's naming him as a useful tool on the wiretaps) is that they go down one side of 'alternate side only' streets at 5 to midnight and then at 5 after midnight so in the morning... every car has a ticket.

[Keith A]

This is taken from Surfline.com about the South Florida surf spot...

Reef Road becomes more of a zoo every year; however, in many ways the break takes care of its own. First, there is no public parking within two miles of the break, tickets are pricey and residents will tow illegally parked vehicles, making access difficult. The closest legal spaces are near the two private oceanfront clubs located two miles to the south. Avoid confrontations with area residents by walking down to the beach on the public access trail in front of the break and don't attempt to park at the Sailfish Club -- you'll be towed before you catch your first wave. Also, be careful stopping in the road to check the surf. Palm Beach cops love to write "obstructing traffic" tickets then search your car. Breaking the law in Palm Beach is a bad idea, as is crossing the street without doing a blue-hair check.

I've this in action myself :crap:

[Louis]

Nothing that bolt cutter in my basement would not fix...